


the family strider: side b

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Multi, Shota, possibly maybe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-21
Updated: 2013-01-21
Packaged: 2017-11-26 07:46:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/648216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>the strider family has always been listed and categorized as strange and mildly odd. these are stories of how they live, act, and  sometimes love.</p><p>side b: contains the beta striders, dave and bro, doing completely platonic brotherly things while also crossing that line several times into holy shit that's illegal costarring bro's porn site.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. haircuts

**Author's Note:**

> this is possibly maybe a big mistake but i
> 
> am going to do the double stridercests and try to do it once a week
> 
> and make it look good and not like crap like Those Fics That Won't Be Named
> 
> mhmm mhmm \\*o*/

He’s always been picky.

When it came to eating his baby food, if it wasn’t the most high grade slop he would spit it up. He always had to have a new pack of Crayolas each school year. You didn’t even want to think about how he was about the women you used to bring home. He was a picky, spoiled little brat that had grown into an oversized picky, spoiled teenager.

Yet you can’t help but love him.

You’re leaning back on the couch, flipping through the channels when he gets home. It’s rare that this happens, since you’re usually at work or he’s out with his friends. Hearing the sounds of him getting closer, you turn to get a face full of paper.

“Do my hair like that. Got a date in about an hour.”

You ignore him, taking the paper and rolling your eyes behind your shades. Of course, it’s that dumb trend where you shave half your head, though in this picture it was maybe a quarter off from being half. Glancing at Dave, and then back at the picture, you ball it up, throwing it over your shoulder. By the time you’re standing up he’s already moved for the bathroom while you grab the chair.

The razor is still plugged in from this morning, when you’d just barely grazed the stubble on your chin. Dave sits while you reach under the cabinet, pulling out one of his baby blankets and throwing it over him. You faintly remember the first time you gave him a haircut, and how he wore hoodies for a week until he grew comfortable with it. Seeing as your cuts had gone seemingly better since then, and the fact that he had a date with whomever, you guess he trusts you better than some sleazy guy at the shop near your apartments. Which is probably better than anything.

After cleaning the blade, you flick it on, the hum of the razor filling the quiet bathroom. Verbal exchanges between the two of you are limited down to needs and strifes, and you don’t bother making anything else happen. Empty conversation was useless to you, and it seemed to be the same way for him.

Soon blonde hair is littering the floor, missing the blanket in ways you aren’t sure are possible. Your brother is tense, as always, but you had made a silent promise to him to do it right, and you would keep it to the best of your abilities. It doesn’t take long and you even do him a favor and comb through what’s left of it.

When he decides to unclench his eyes, he lets out a sigh of what you think is relief.

“Good enough?”  
He runs his fingers through his hair, as if it’s the first time all over again. “Yeah. Chinese takeout?”

It takes a moment for it all to click in your head, but you nod. “You buyin’?”

Standing up, he chuckles. You notice he’s only a few inches off from being as tall as you and he’s only sixteen. “Only if I can pick out the movie.”

“Fair enough,” You ruffle his hair and he nearly screeches, which only makes you laugh harder. He mutters something about your dick and you tell him not to forget to get extra fortune cookies this time.

And when all is said and done, and he’s on your lap purposely blocking the screen as his favorite movie runs while you contort your body to eat with the chopsticks he got you last Christmas, you start to realize how much you hate his haircut, and you hope it grows back fast.

There’s hardly enough for you to hold on to anymore.


	2. lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dave does some stupid stuff and bro snaps on him a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm going to stop posting these together lmao
> 
> side a will probably be updated on saturdays and side b on sundays
> 
> striderdays

“Did you get in another fight?”

Behind you, you can hear your brother’s feet stop in their tracks, the rustling in the pantry coming to a halt. “What?”

Putting a pin in the puppet you were working on, you turn on the couch, just enough to where you can see the back of his head. “You heard what I said.”

He’s hesitating too long, which means you already know the answer. You knew from the time he walked in and tried to hide his limp from you, but you were giving him the benefit of the doubt. Some part of you still hoped he’d cling to you until you found a band-aid and kissed his wherever he was hurt, sometimes lingering too long for your own comfort. Though those days are nearly gone now, with his baby fat turning into muscle, not to mention he’s only a few weeks away from his fourth grade graduation. He’s a growing boy and you hate how independent he’s trying to become.

The fighting didn’t start too long ago, as far as you know. There was a incident where Dave’s shades had gotten taken off and less than kind words had been shared before he snapped and started pounding on the kid, and you had to spend over an hour arguing with the principal defending his actions which cost you a job and almost got you a visit from CPS. You thought it had stopped by now but it apparently wasn’t the case.

“I can handle it myself, Bro, I’m--”

“You’re just barely eight, kid.” You cut him off, and the words come out in a harsher tone than you intend. “I’m supposed to be protecting you, okay? We don’t hide shit from each other.”

Finally, he turns to you. “Then why won’t you tell me about Mom and Dad?”

You go silent.

“Thought so.” He continues to rummage through the pantry to get a bag of Doritos out of the very back, all while you’re almost shaking from anger. By the time he’s popped the bag open you’re hovering over him and he drops the bag as you pin him against the door.

“You want to be a smartass, huh?” The small bit of fear on his face is next to nothing on how he feels inside. “Think that shit’s funny, when I’m trying to fucking help your ass? The same ass, I might add, that keeps getting kicked around like a can on the street twice a day? You actually have time to be a smartass?”

He’s quivering. “‘M not tryin’ to--”

“Shut it.” Dave hits the ground louder than necessary. “If you want to be all by yourself, Mister Tough Guy, have at it. Hope it goes better for you than it did for me.”

The door slams behind you and your feet guide you to the roof of the crummy run-down apartment. There’s nothing but the lights of the city and yourself, and sometimes you think you’re better off that way. That temper of yours doesn’t get you anywhere, and no one sticks around too long after you blow up the first time anyhow. Hell, if Dave had a choice you’re pretty sure you would be alone right now.

There’s a word for people like you, but you’ve never labeled yourself because you think it’s stupid. People always said you were too bright and that it would eventually be your downfall, and you hate that they were right. Twenty seven years have come and gone and you still have no idea what your purpose of being is.

It starts to get darker and you decide you should probably go find some sort of instant meal to feed your charge. When you walk in he’s already dozed off on the couch, so you throw a blanket over him before making your way into the small kitchen. There’s not much to work with but there never is, so he’ll just have to deal with another night of ramen. It doesn’t take long, and Dave wakes up when you’re done on his own.

He mumbles an apology while you two sit on the couch, staring blankly at the television, and shrug it off. There’s an unspoken sense of apologies from the both of you and after he does the dishes he goes straight to his room. It’s like this a lot lately, and even if some part of you wants to go in there, tell him you’re sorry and that you’ll try harder, give him a hug and tell him how great he is and how he doesn’t deserve a shitty guardian like yourself, you don’t.

Instead, you think you’ll pick up on strifing. He’s old enough now to maneuver with your swords, and it’d be more muscle building for you, more integrity for him.

Maybe even a little fun for the both of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also followin/trackin the family strider tag on tumblr could be helpful so you won't miss updates or anything yeah bye


End file.
